. commercial silk is obtained from the cocoons spun by certain caterpillars (larvae of moths and butterflies) before pupation. until the discovery of nylon and other synthetic fiber polymers, the silk of domestic silkworm, bombyx mori, was an economically and, at the time of war, also strategically important...
such as nylon, polyester and acrylic. because these fibres are so small, they drain out of the back of the washing machine and can ultimately enter the marine environment, where they can be ingested by tiny animals and end up in our food chain. phd student max kelly (left) and marine microbiologist...